A team from ENDA Santé went to Kédougou as part of the FEVE IMPULSE project for a mission to monitor cross-border activities. Combined prevention activities were organized in the health posts of Bambadji, which covers two localities, Bougouda and Bantaco, gold mining areas. These activities mainly involved gold miners, a segment of the population that is extremely vulnerable to HIV, with the collaboration of the Saraya Health District.
Accessibility to HIV care services is a real challenge. The roads are almost impassable and the health facilities do not have sufficient HIV care services. Bougouda is 30 km from the nearest health facility. The populations, most of whom earn their income from mining, do not attend health facilities. This increases their vulnerability to HIV.
ENDA Santé, whose mission is to accompany populations, particularly vulnerable groups, in defending their rights to access information and adequate health services, has carried out prevention activities in the areas of Bougouda in the Saraya district. The objective is to promote access to testing services, reduce the vulnerability of populations most at risk of HIV in order to improve access to care and quality management in these areas.
5 activities of talks, followed by screening with integrated consultation were carried out and at the end of which 50 people of different nationalities (Malian, Guinean, Burkinabe, Nigerian and Senegalese) were sensitized, screened, and treated.
Many cases of STIs noted in advanced strategies
Samory Touré, ICP of Bambadji has been working in the locality since April 2022. He informs that the post does not have a midwife, let alone a doctor. However, the ICP points out,
During the advanced strategies, we realize that there are many cases of STIs and, as far as HIV is concerned, many people do not know their serological status. As for the women, they do not go for consultation. This activity is a godsend for us and we hope that ENDA Santé will extend its activities to other localities, especially Bantaco, which has a highly populated gold mining area.
Awa Dieye, benefited from a training from ENDA Santé. Since 2016, she has been working as a community relay and community mediator on gold panning sites. Thanks to the activities she carries out in partnership with the FEVE IMPULSE project, she has referred many beneficiaries to the Saraya health district for care. For her, the project trains and accompanies the actors working on HIV, which allows them to carry out outreach activities to raise awareness among the population about practices that are harmful to their health.
The Frontiers and Vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS in West Africa / FEVE Impulse Project coordinated by ENDA Santé with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg and the NGO Action de Coopération pour la Santé et l'Environnement (SAN/ACCES) of Luxembourg is in its2nd year of implementation. It has contributed significantly to the important results achieved in the response to HIV in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger and Senegal).
